Merdarahta/As The Dark Clouds Swept Away We Could See The Sunset/2015 CD Review

  Canada's  Merdarahta  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  dark  ambient,  drone,  experimental,  harsh  noise,  doom  metal  and  sludge  mixture  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "As  The  Dark  Clouds  Swept  Away  We  Could  See  The  Sunset".

  Dark ambient  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  voices  in  the  background  that  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  awhile  harsh  noises  become  a  part  of  the  music  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  to  get  more  heavier  with  a  sludge/doom  metal  sound  while  still  incorporating  the  experimental  elements.

  Vocals  when  they  are  added  into  the  music  are  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  small  amount  of  whispers  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  other  tracks  go  for  more  of  a  drone/experimental  direction  while  some  of  the  other  songs  remain  true  to  a  sludge/doom  metal  direction  and  also  bring  in  melodic  riffing  at  times  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing.

  Merdarahta  creates  another  recording  that  still  has  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  still  also  being  very  ritualistic  and  experimental  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Merdarahta  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark   ambient,  drone,  experimental,  harsh  noise,  doom  metal  and  sludge,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Dark  Clouds"  and "Poverty  Will  Spread".  8  out  of  10.  

https://merdarahta.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-dark-clouds-swept-away-we-could-see-the-sunset  

Merdarahta Interview

1.Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?

When Fuck The Facts was doing Die Miserable we had a recording that I really wanted to use as the B side of the cassette version. This was the “Snake Charmer/Towers” release. It just didn’t feel like Fuck The Facts, it felt like something new. So we made the decision to put it under a different name even though all members of FTF played on it.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

The approach is very different from Fuck The Facts. I see Merdarahta as our vacation away from FTF. We started Fuck The Facts as a place where we could have complete artistic freedom, and I don’t think anything will ever replace FTF for me. So to do something else there had to be a very different method and frame of mind to how we would create.

In Merdarahta the music we make is based mainly on improvisation sessions that we record. Nothing is perfect, but it really captures the moments when everything starts to come together. There’s no going back and trying it again, what you hear is the idea being played as it was coming out. We end up with something that I don’t think we ever would have, if we had sat down to try and “write” it.  It’s an unbroken flow of ideas and sense of simply being submerged in the moment.

3. What are some of the concepts the band brings out in the music?

Simplicity is what I aim for. Lots of room and space to let everything slowly morph from section to section. Since there are no lyrics and any vocals are used more as an extra layer, we’re really just trying to create ambience more than send a message.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The name “Merdarahta” itself is taken from an ambient noise Fuck The Facts track from 2003. Even if it’s a different project, I wanted it to be connected to FTF.

5. Has the band had any oppurtunities to do any live shows, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We did one show so far. It was opening for Jucifer in Aug of last year. Since all the recordings are based solely on improve sessions I didn’t think it would be fair to try and recreate those performances, so instead we came up with some new ideas and a basic structure to play with. I was really happy with how it turned out and I look forward to taking Merdarahta to the stage again.

6. Has there been any label interest for the project?

That not something we’ve tried to look for and since the project is very new and really something we just do on the side, it’s not something that’s really needed. I’m happy to release Merdarahta recordings independently.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of drone?

The feedback we have gotten has been very positive. But again, because the activity level of the project is so low, there are not a lot of people that have heard these recordings.

8. What is going on with the other band projects these days?

Fuck The Facts is always busy. We have a lot of new recordings in the works, which also includes our new full-length album. Also, The Sun Through A Telescope (who is one of the main contributors to Merdarahta) is also just about to release a new full length album.

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I already have a lot of recording sessions to go through and work on. Most of it is pretty similar to the 2 releases we’ve already done, but some others have a bit more of “jam” vibe with more drums and even riffs. We’ll see how it all comes together.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I’ve always loved noise and ambient music and that’s what I’m trying to get out with this project. Create noise that’s still somewhat musical. Bands like Painkiller, Massonna and Trail Of The Bow are a few bands I can think of as influences. As for what I’m listening to recently, it’s been a lot of Black Sabbath, Priestess and Marvin Gaye. 

11.Does Occultism play any role in the music?

No. It’s all about atmosphere and creating a mood. I’m not really into any sort or Occultism or religion.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Not many, but I could probably use another hobby. Even when I’m not working on my own music, I’m recording and mixing bands at my studio Apartment 2. Music and hanging out with my 2 year old daughter are the only things I really like to do.

13.any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interview and your interest. Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/merd.rahta/

Merdarahta/Fault Of Air/Breathe/2012 CD Review

  Merdarahta are a band from Canada that has had their previous release reviewed in this zine with a musical style that I would describe as being dark experiemental/ambient/drone/doom metal and this is a review of their self released 2012 album "Fault Of Air/Breathe".

Noise effects and synths bring the ritualistic/experimental/ambient drone sound to the music, while the drums are all slow tribal beats and there is no use of a bass guitar present on this recording.

There is not much use of guitar riffing on this recording but you can still hear some heavy distortion coming out of a guitar amplifier, in addition the songs are very long and epic sounding, as for the acoustic guitars they are only used on the last song to add more darkness to the music.

Vocals and song writing are absent from this recording with the music being all instrumental, while the song themes cover breath and air, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion this is another great recording from Merdarahta which is more experimental and less doom metal influenced than the previous effort and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Fault Of Air II" and "Breathe". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/merd.rahta/

Merdarahta/Snake Charmer/Towers/2011 CD Review

  Merdarahta are a band from Canada that is a side project of the members from Fuck The Facts with a musical style that combines ambient/drone/experimental and doom metal together and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "Snake Charmers/Towers".

Noise effects are very experimental and drone sounding with a ritualistic feeling to it along with some dark sounding synths as will as some ethnic and folk music sounding instruments and there is no use of a bass guitar on this recording, as for the drumming it is all slow and tribal/ritualistic sounding beats.

Acoustic guitars are all finger picking with some middle eastern and Hindu sounding scales, while the rhythm guitars are all slow and drone/doom metal songs with some riffs that dont offer any variety but add to the darkness that is coming out of the music with a great amount of heavy distortion.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams when they are utilized without the music being black metal, while the song concepts revolve around snake charmers and towers, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Merdarahta are a very great sounding mixture of ritual, noise, experimental, ambient, drone and doom metal, you should enjoy this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Snake Charmer II" "Snake Charmer III" and "Towers II". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/merd.rahta/